Rules Are Meant to be Broken
by Forever With Me
Summary: Tea was a wedding planner and she had one rule: Never fall in love with the groom.  When she sees Serenity Wheeler after six years, she agrees to plan her marriage to Seto Kaiba.  Along the way, though, she realizes that one rule may be hard not to break.
1. Do I Have to Choose?

I've never done a story like this. So please point out anything I need to work on.

Disclaimer: I don't and doubt I ever will own Yugioh. If I ever do, I'll be sure to let you know.

'_Thoughts'_

"Dialogue"

Chapter 1

Do I Have to Choose?

Tea Gardener fastened her small briefcase and headed for her secretary. The young woman, almost young enough to be mistaken for a high school student, was vigorously writing down some information onto a pad of yellow post-it notes. A phone rested on her shoulder, and she seemed engaged in conversation. Upon seeing her boss, she said a quick good-bye and hung up the phone. Hesitantly, she faced Tea, hoping her employer had missed the conversation between her and the caller.

"Susan, I sincerely hope that was a client and not your boyfriend. You know how easily I could find a new secretary," Tea said showing a mischievous smile. She knew Susan was a skilled employee, and the girl was still trying to balance her social life along with her working one. Even if Tea was one of the best wedding coordinators in the entire country, she trusted Susan and knew in due time, the girl would be a phenomenal employee. 'If only that time would come soon.' Tea silently wished that the girl would catch on fast because more and more people refused to have a wedding that wasn't planned by her, and she needed all the help she could get.

Susan failed to understand the fact that Tea was only joking and launched into an explanation. "I'm sorry, Ms. Gardener. It's my first year anniversary with my boyfriend. He called to inform me of our dinner reservations. I know I should have waited until lunch but-" Susan was cut off as Tea held up her hand.

"Just don't let it happen again. Anyways I came over here to ask what today's itinerary was," Tea waited for a response while pulling out her handheld organizer. Susan pulled out a small book, filled with the names of clients, the type of wedding they were having, and where they wished to meet with Tea.

"Well, you have a meeting in one hour with Mr. Kato and his future wife Ms. Kimura. They want to discuss a possible Italian Rivera Wedding with an ocean setting. After that, you're free until after lunch," she replied, snapping the book closed. Tea entered this into her handheld and carefully put it back into her leather purse.

"Fine. Until then, can you calculate the costs for the Ramsden wedding. I tried the figures last night, but they didn't seem right. I think I forgot something. Here's what I've done so far." Tea opened her briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper filled with numbers. She handed it so Susan. "I need the final numbers when I get back. They want to know as soon as possible whether they need to borrow any money from the bank." She turned to leave.

"Wait where are you going? The meeting is going to be here," Susan asked. Tea rolled her eyes and turned back around to face her secretary. '_Isn't it her job to know where I'm going?'_

"I have to go look at some wedding cake styles," she replied simply before walking out of the room. Susan shrugged her shoulders and watched from the window behind her as Tea exited the building. She quickly redialed her boyfriend's number and was soon too busy in conversation to remember what Tea had asked her to complete before her return.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Tea glanced at the clock located behind the counter of the cake shop. She had that meeting in twenty minutes, and it took ten minutes to drive back to her office. There were still a few things that needed to be looked over before the meeting. _'Time to go.'_

"Thanks so much. I have a few cakes in mind for the wedding. I'll be back tomorrow to talk more. See you later, Aiko." Tea told the owner of the shop. Aiko waved goodbye, and Tea hurried out the door.

Susan glanced up from her computer as Tea rushed into the room. She waited as Tea caught her breath.

"Please tell me you did the final calculations," Tea said. Susan blinked a few times before it dawned on her what Tea was talking about. Her features changed from one of happiness to one of horror. Tea sighed taking that as a no. Maybe she should find a new secretary. "Just finish it while I'm in the meeting. Are they here yet?"

Susan just shook her head still embarrassed about forgetting to complete one simple task. Tea normally would try to comfort her, but she was beginning to have doubts about the girl. If she couldn't remember to do something as simple as looking over some numbers, could she really be trusted to handle a wedding? Tea ignored the feeling that she should just find a new secretary as she began to look over the possibility of an Italian Rivera Wedding. The couple seemed to be well off, but this wedding would cost a fortune. She looked up when someone opened the door.

"Hello, Mr. Kato and Ms. Kimura. I've been expecting you. Sit down." Tea smiled at the couple as they sat down in the two empty chairs. "I understand that you wish to have an Italian Rivera Wedding with an ocean setting. After looking over your finances for the wedding, I don't think that would be the best option. This type of wedding is especially expensive because it's out of country, which I'm sure you already knew, and with the marriage laws, I highly advise you to reconsider this choice. Even though it's a dream to have that type of wedding, the last time I planned a wedding of similar sorts was for a couple that were millionaires."

Tea watched as Ms. Kimura's face fell. It was evident the woman had her sights set on that type of wedding. The couple exchanged looks and began to converse in whispers. Tea looked down at the papers on her desk. She hated telling couples they couldn't have their dream wedding because they couldn't afford it. But it was better that they save their money now, so they won't be in debt as a couple. That never helped a marriage.

"What would you suggest we do for our wedding then," Ms. Kimura finally asked. Tea was secretly glad they weren't going to argue. A couple she had helped a few years ago had insisted on having a more expensive wedding that they could afford. They ended up owing the bank so much they almost had to declare bankruptcy. She still regretted letting them have such an expensive wedding.

"I was thinking of a formal wedding at The Rose Castle's Grand Ballroom(1). It holds up to 1,000 people. There is a main foyer where we could hold the wedding, and the ballroom could be for the reception. That way no one has to drive from the wedding to the reception. It always gets so unorganized when people do that. There is enough room for plenty of decorations, and it will be a lot cheaper than the Italian wedding." Tea pulled out pictures of the ballroom. She showed them pictures of the last wedding held there. There were chandeliers that cast a soft glow on the guests. Flowers were placed in the centers of tables and candles were placed accordingly around the room. The couple gasped at its beauty.

"Yes, that might work. It's gorgeous," Ms. Kimura whispered still shocked at how enchanting everything looked. Tea smiled. Well, at least that was settled. Now they still needed to decide on the cake, flowers, food, guests, decorations, and a million other things. This could take awhile.

"So we are going to have it here?" Tea asked. She put the pictures in a manila folder.

"Yes. I think this is a great place to have the wedding. It may not be Italy, but it sure comes close," Mr. Kato answered. His fiancé nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now on to the flowers. I still would like to talk to a few people about that as well as the other details, so could we meet again to discuss those sometime in a few days?" Tea looked up at the couple who nodded in agreement. She pick up her organizer from her desk and programmed the information.

"I'm glad we found a place for the wedding. That will make things much easier. I'll have Susan call you with a date and where to meet to discuss the decorations. See you soon." Tea shut the door behind them. Sighing, she decided to see if Susan had the numbers yet. Then she could go to lunch.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Tea picked at her strawberry cheesecake. It had been a long day so far, and it was only half way over. Maybe she should take tomorrow off. When was the last time she had had a break? She even worked Saturdays and Sundays. As a wedding planner, you always had to be available. That had taken a toll on her social life. She used to always hang out with her friends. Over the years, though, they seemed to have drifted apart and only saw each other on rare occasions. She missed them so much, but they all had such busy lives.

She looked down at her half-eaten cheesecake. Maybe she should just ask for a box, go back to work, and decide if she could reschedule her meetings tomorrow. She was about to wave her server over, when she stopped. A woman by the door looked very familiar. She squinted to try to see the person more clearly. That couldn't possibly be who she thought it was. As far as she knew the girl still lived in Domino. What would she be doing here? '_Maybe I should just walk over and see.'_

Tea started to search through her purse for money for a tip. She had already paid the bill, but she always felt she had to leave a tip. She jumped when someone laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Tea? It is you. Oh, I haven't seen you in years. How are you doing?" Tea turned around to face the person who had spoken. Serenity Wheeler.

"Serenity, I thought it was you. I'm doing fine. My business has really taken off. What brought you here?" Tea hugged her.

"Well, that's actually a long story. Do you have anywhere you have to be?" Serenity sat down in a chair next to Tea.

"I'm on my lunch break right now. If I don't get back on time, my secretary will know I had something important to take care of," Tea replied. Serenity nodded and took that as her cue to start her story.

"After you left, everybody seemed to go their separate ways. Tristan went to a college a few hours away. Yugi took some time away from the shop and went to Egypt. Joey and I moved into an apartment together, but he ended up going to the same college as Tristan. Duke's company has really taken off and he's been broadcasting it all over the globe. It's now is located in five different countries and he's currently in France. I haven't seen Mai in a long time, but Joey did say she's visited him a few times. Ryou went to a college in Japan for awhile, but then he transferred. I haven't really heard from anyone except Joey and Tristan, but they are really busy. I haven't seen them in a few months," Serenity paused taking a breath. Tea let this all sink in. She had been wondering what everyone was up to.

"So what about you? What have you been doing?" Tea asked. Serenity smiled.

"After everyone left, I finished high school. I took up a few jobs to pay the bills. For awhile, I felt alone. I tried calling you a few times, but your secretary always said you were busy-"

"She never told me you called," Tea cut in angrily. Knowing Susan, she had been to busy taking care of her personal life to tell Tea one of her friends had called. '_I wonder if anybody else has called and received the same response. What if something had happened to one of them, and I didn't know because Susan forgot to tell me? I think I should start looking for a new secretary. I thought she would pull through for me but apparently not-' _

"Well that explains why you never called me back." Serenity mused interrupting her thoughts. Serenity had often wondered if Tea even cared about her anymore, but now she knew the truth. She realized she was never really alone; it had just seemed that way.

"So what happened?" Tea finally asked. Serenity took a deep breath, not sure how Tea would react when she found out the secret even Joey didn't know.

"Umm…I met someone. I didn't think it would work out at first, but we ended up going out. He's asked me to marry him." Serenity lowered her eyes from Tea's questioning gaze. She wanted to tell someone, but she wished she had thought through how to deliver such mind-blowing news.

"Who is it? Tristan?" Tea guessed. He had never hid his feelings towards Serenity, but the girl had never seemed to return them. Did she have a change of heart? Perhaps she now saw him as more than just her brother's best friend. Serenity shook her head in response. '_She seems nervous. Is it someone I wouldn't approve of?'_

"Serenity, you can tell me. I promise I won't judge. If you really love him, then you two should be together. Even if it's someone like…Kaiba." Tea threw in a random name of someone she didn't like. Seto Kaiba…the seemingly heartless CEO of KaibaCorp who had cause more than enough problems for her and her friends.

Serenity paled as Tea said this. Tea frowned. '_Was it something I said?'_

"Actually, it's kind of funny that you mention his name," Serenity tried to laugh, but the look of shock on Tea's face stopped her.

"Are you telling me that the guy who proposed to you was…Kaiba?" Tea could hardly comprehend it. There had to be something she was missing. There was no way a sweet girl like Serenity could fall for someone like Kaiba. His brother, maybe, but not him.

Serenity looked away. She tried to think of someway to make Tea understand, but came up empty-handed.

"Are you mad?" she ended up asking. That was confirmation enough for Tea to know it was true. She was bewildered to say the least. '_How could this happen? There is no way. Kaiba is always so busy. He has his company and brother to take care of. And why would he pick her of all people?' _Tea was surprised by her last thought but pushed it aside. She needed to know something first.

"Did you say yes?" Tea silently prayed that she didn't, but she knew Serenity wouldn't have brought it up otherwise. Serenity nodded. Tea drew in a sharp breath. She went away for a few years and all this had happened while she was gone. She wondered if there was anything else she didn't know about.

"Tea, you promised you wouldn't judge," Serenity whispered. Was she kidding? If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have judged. But this was Kaiba. He had insulted them every chance he got, caused Yugi to lose his star chips in Duelist Kingdom, made it known to the world he hated Joey-

"Does Joey know?" Tea suddenly asked. Serenity hadn't been expecting that question.

"No, I'm afraid to tell him. He's never liked Seto, and I doubt he will approve of us getting married," Serenity replied. Tea's frowned when she referred to Kaiba by his first name. So it really was true. They really were going to get married.

"Oh," came Tea's reply. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. As much as she wanted to congratulate Serenity, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Serenity seemed to be waiting for her to same something, but Tea just sat there with a dazed look on her face.

"Tea, I know that you never really got along with Seto, but please give him a chance. He's changed." Tea started to roll her eyes but stopped before Serenity saw her. '_How do I tell her that I wouldn't believe he's changed in a million years?' _Tea sighed. A simple lie couldn't hurt.

"Your right, Serenity. Everyone deserves a second chance, even…Kaiba," she forced the name out of her mouth. Serenity smiled, and Tea was surprised she hadn't seen right through her. "That still doesn't explain why you're here, though."

"Oh, right. Seto has some business meetings in America and said he wanted me to come with him. I thought it would be a good chance to talk about the wedding." Serenity lit up just talking about it. "Anyways, I have a favor to ask of you."

Tea was afraid to ask what is was, but that would be rude. She nodded for Serenity to continue.

"Seto and I have been looking for someone to plan our wedding. He's so busy, and I don't think I could do it by myself. We looked for one in Japan, but I didn't really like any of their styles. Then I ran into you here. And I was wondering if you could plan our wedding?" Serenity asked sweetly. Tea sat there, too stunned to answer.

'_I can either plan it and work for Kaiba or be a bad friend and refuse to plan it. Working for Kaiba is bad enough, not to mention, Joey may never forgive me for this. Either way I lose.'_

(1) I don't own it.

How was it? I know there wasn't much action in this chapter, but I promise things will start to heat up. Especially when Tea sees Seto after all of these years. Please review.


	2. Joey's Wrath

Chapter 2

Joey's Wrath

Rain poured on top of her, and she quickly put the thick binder she was carrying over the top of brown hair in an attempt to keep it from becoming soaked. Her black mascara was slightly smeared from the corner of her blue eyes to the top of her cheek bone leaving her two thick lines. She angrily wiped them away. The forecast had said it would be sunny and clear. So much for listening to that.

She frowned. This had to be the morning when she would have her meeting with Serenity and Kaiba. After the girl had begged her to plan their wedding, Tea had finally agreed on two conditions. One Serenity had to tell Joey that she was getting married, and Tea was only helping because she needed the money, which of course was a lie. Tea was not rich but she was certainly well off. Joey, however, did not need to know that. It would only cause a lot of fighting and a dent in their friendship. And two Kaiba would not control her. He might be paying her for her services, but he was not her boss. If either of these conditions were broken, Serenity agreed that Tea could resign from the job, and there wouldn't be any hard feelings.

Tea swung open the heavy glass door and rushed into the warm, dry building. The rush of warmth sent a wave of shock up her body. Tea rushed into a bathroom and tried to make herself look decent. She reapplied her mascara, and put on a fresh coat of lipstick. After brushing her tangled hair, she glanced at herself in the mirror. It wasn't the best she had ever looked, but it would do. Besides it's not like she cared what Kaiba thought of her, but if she looked like she didn't care about her appearance, people would assume she didn't care about her business. It was all about self-image.

She looked at her watch. 9:05. _'Great already five minutes late. If they're already here, Kaiba will never let me hear the end of this. Oh well, I'll just ignore him.' _She ran over to her new secretary who had replaced Susan the day after Tea had talked to Serenity. Already Tea could tell that Jackie, the new secretary, was an improvement over Susan. She was older and had more experience. Maybe things would start to look up.

"Please tell me they are stuck in traffic and won't be here for at least ten more minutes," Tea begged Jackie. She looked up at her boss and shook her head sympathetically.

"Sorry, they were here five minutes early. Mr. Kaiba's been demanding to know where you are and keeps asking what's taking you so long," Jackie told her. Tea rolled her eyes.

"Well, he needs to learn that I have a life, and it won't kill him if I'm five minutes late." She marched over to the office, regained her composure, and walked in as if nothing was the matter.

"Sorry that I'm late. My car wouldn't start, and I had to walk here in the pouring rain." Tea said with a fake apologetic smile while shutting the door. Seto was talking on the phone to an employee of his but hung up after Tea had spoken.

"It's not like I have anywhere important to be," Seto replied sarcastically. Tea narrowed her eyes.

"Well, excuse me. If I'm wasting your time, then why don't you just go." Tea tried to remain calm, but she already was sick of him. Serenity obviously had to be insane to think he had changed. He was the exact same arrogant, selfish, aggravating CEO he always was.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately Serenity thinks you're the best wedding planner there is. I can assure you I don't feel the same way." Seto gave a meaningful glance at his fiancé. Tea was fuming. How dare he come here and insult her when she was doing them such a favor? Serenity sensed how close Tea was to refusing to plan their wedding and cut in.

"Seto, Tea is wonderful at what she does, and she's very generous to fit us into her busy schedule." Serenity looked into his blue eyes, pleading for him to do this for her. He shrugged giving in, but Tea knew this wouldn't be the end of his insults.

"Let's just talk about the wedding." Better to change the subject. Serenity launched into a full description of how beautiful she wanted it to be, but Tea wasn't listening. She still kept thinking of a way to get out of this job. She could just say she was busier than she thought, or she could just break off her friendship with Serenity. But the first one was a lie, and she was big on friendship. Seto may be a first-class jerk, but Serenity was still a sweet girl. Even if she was marrying Kaiba.

"And there has to be flowers everywhere," Serenity continued unaware that Tea still wasn't listening. Seto didn't seemed to be either. In fact, he almost looked bored. As if this was all a waste of time. As if he didn't even want to be here. As if he didn't love-

No that was taking it too far. If they were together, he obviously lover her. Right? Hopefully, or Tea was doing this all for nothing, and she would be livid if she was putting up with Kaiba for nothing.

"Yes, all that can be arranged," Tea told Serenity as if she had been listening the whole time. Serenity gave her a bright smile.

"Good because I want everything to be perfect." She looked towards her fiancé who nodded absentmindedly. Tea doubted he was paying attention even now as Serenity spoke directly to him. Just keeping up a good appearance by looking like he cared. He did that too often.

"So Mr. Kaiba, what kind of a cake would you like," Tea tested him to see if he was listening. She had only threw on a Mr. because it was part of her job to look professional at all times. Even to Kaiba.

"Whatever Serenity wants." He gave Tea a dirty glare. Serenity didn't see it, but Tea knew he was just upset that she was trying to make him look like an idiot. She smiled back at him, which made him angrier.

"I think it's time to go. I have meetings to get to." Seto yanked open the door and waited for Serenity. She mouthed sorry to Tea and followed her fiancé. Tea shook her head in dismay. She didn't know how long she could handle his insults. Jackie knocked on the door.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Mr. Kaiba doesn't seem to like you very much. Do you know him?" Jackie looked at her shaken boss and wondered if she should have asked. She didn't want to be fired already, but Tea looked like she needed to talk to someone before she went on a killing spree.

"Yes, unfortunately. Anyways, I think I'll take the rest of the day off even though I just got here. I need to get my car looked at. Reschedule all the meetings for Friday when I'm free." Tea gathered her papers and organizer into her bag. Jackie nodded and went back to her desk.

"Oh, and you can take the rest of the say off, too. You'll get paid for a whole day, but I really just need some time to think and maybe get in touch with some old friends." Tea walked out without waiting for her reply.

Luckily the rain had stopped and the sun was shining as if it had been all day. The only reminder was the large, muddy puddles that overtook the streets. Tea almost jogged home ignoring the water that splashed up from under her feet. A little water on her shoes was better than staying here.

Once inside her cozy two-story house, she changed into some dry clothes. After throwing on a comfy pair of jeans and a loose shirt, she located her house phone. If she called on her cell phone, her friends would definitely not recognize it. She still remembered Yugi's by heart and called him first. Maybe he would be back from his trip to Egypt. The phone began to ring, and she held her breath in anticipation.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello, you have reached the Mutou residence. Sorry to have missed your call. Leave a message at the beep and we'll get back to you as soon as we can." the answering machine replayed the message she had heard a million times. She sighed. So much for that.

"Hey, Yugi. It's Tea, and I really need to talk to you. Call me back as soon as you can." Tea hit the end button. She pulled up her list of contacts and started to look for Joey's cell phone number. Hopefully Serenity had told him about her engagement. Eventually she found it and hit the send button. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, is dat you, Tea?" He sounded tired as if he had just woken up. _'Crap. I forgot about the time difference. What time is it there? I hope it's not too late?'_

"Yeah, it's me. Were you sleeping?" She tried figuring out the time there, but the math was hurting her head, so she gave up. She heard another voice in the background. Must be Tristan.

"No, I was just about ta go to sleep. Why are ya callin'?" He started talking to the person in the room, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. He was probably covering the phone.

"I wanted to talk about Serenity." She really hoped he already knew. Maybe she should have asked Serenity first. But she didn't feel like talking to her after today. She was mad Serenity had dragged her into this. Didn't she know the problems it would create? Oh well, too late now.

"What about her? Have you been talkin' ta her?" Joey asked. There were excited murmurs on the other end. That confirmed two things: Tristan was with him and Serenity still hadn't told him. Why wasn't she surprised?

"Yeah. I saw her the other day. She told me she was going to call you." Tea knew she would have to tell him. She couldn't count on Serenity to do it. But that meant that she broke the contract, and Tea no longer had to plan the wedding.

"About what?" He told her before Tristan grabbed the phone out of his hands.

"She finally realized she loved me, right?" Tristan laughed and pushed Joey away who was trying to get the phone back. She heard a smack and a cry in pain. Those two were still as immature as ever.

"Hey, Tristan. Put Joey back on. It's important." She took a deep breath and waited for Tristan to give the phone back to Joey. Hearing the seriousness in her voice, he obliged without asking questions.

"What's so important." Joey sounded concerned. She wished she didn't have to tell him, but he deserved to know. And if this was the only way he would find out, then she had to do it.

"I don't really know how to say this. Um, I…well, I saw Serenity a few days ago. She was here in America. We talked and…" She paused. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. She could still lie and force Serenity to tell him the truth the next time she saw her. But then he might be even more mad. Might as well get it over with.

"She told me she had started dating someone, and he's asked her to marry him. She said yes and-"

"WHAT!" Joey cut her off. She could hear Tristan shouting in the background, too.

"Joey, she's growing up," She told him gently. He was always so protective over her; this had to be a huge shock. He goes to college and she gets engaged. And he still didn't know the rest of it.

"Who is it, Tea? I'll kill him. It's Duke isn't it? He never left her alone. I'm comin' back ta Domino ta kick his ass," Joey shouted. He didn't seem to be listening to her, but he never did.

This was definitely a bad idea. She should have just waited and hoped Serenity would tell him. But she needed someone to talk to about all of this, and Yugi wasn't home.

"Joey, listen to me. You're not going to like what I have to say, but I have to tell you. There's no way to say this gently, so I'll be blunt. She is going to get married to someone you don't approve of. But before you kill someone, know that they must love each other very much if they are planning on getting married. There's nothing we can really do besides support her, no matter how much we don't like her fiancé." Tea waited for it to sink in before she went any farther.

"Who's her fiancé, and why don't ya like him?" Joey asked impatiently. Tea nervously twirled the phone cord around her slender index finger.

"It's Kaiba," She blurted out. The other end went dead silent, and she thought for a second they had lost connection. After looking at her phone and seeing that it had no problems, she waited for him to say something. She knew he would be mad, but she thought he would at least be yelling. Now she had no idea what he was thinking.

"Joey?" She wished he would say something. It was easier to be sympathetic with someone when you knew how they felt. She almost hung up when she heard the sound of breaking glass on the other end.

"Tell me dis is all some kinda joke," he seethed. Tea wished she could tell him it was, but she couldn't lie now. Otherwise he would think Serenity was joking when she told him.

"It's true, Joey. I wouldn't joke about something like this. Apparently while everyone was gone, she and Kaiba started dating and fell in love. I still don't know what to think of it." She bit her lip and hoped this conversation would be over soon.

'_I just have to answer any questions and then I can hang up. Oh yeah, I also have to tell him I'm planning their wedding. Great. Just what I need. To have Joey direct all his anger towards me.'_

"How could she date dat jerk! He probably just used her to make me mad at him," Joey yelled. Tea winced. He still wasn't getting it.

"Joey, I don't think he would do that. He might be a rich snob, but he wouldn't marry Serenity just to make you mad. Insulting you is more of his style," Tea told him truthfully.

Joey muttered something incoherent. Tea strained to hear him, but to no avail. He whispered something to Tristan before talking.

"Well, I'll have ta have a nice chat with him, won't I?" Joey asked cynically.

"Joey, you and Kaiba can do whatever you want for all I care. But listen to me. There's something else I have to tell you. Serenity met up with me and ask me for a favor. She wants me to, um, plan her wedding," Tea muttered the last part under her breath in an attempt to keep him from hearing it.

"But ya didn't say yes, did ya?" Joey hoped she wouldn't betray his trust, but he got the feeling she was too mice to say no.

"Well, I tried to say no, but I didn't want to wreck my friendship with her," she said innocently. His eyes got as big as saucers.

"You agreed ta plan her marriage to Kaiba!? Why would you do dat without tellin' me about it first?" Joey demanded.

"Well, Serenity agreed that in exchange for my services she would tell you. I was hoping she already had, but apparently not. Of course, that means I can call the deal off, but I don't know if I will yet. It would look good for my business. Anyways I hope you're not mad at me, but I should be going." Her stomach growled indicating it was time for lunch. He sighed in resignation.

"No, I'm not mad at ya. I know you're just tryin' ta help. I think I might come down ta visit ya." He said it so sweetly, she almost believed him.

"Really, just a visit with me. And it will be sheer coincidence if you see Kaiba," Tea responded derisively.

"Oh, I plan on seein' Kaiba, and when I do, he'll wish he would've left Serenity alone." Tristan cheered at his words, and she knew they were probably already making plans.

"Well, I guess I'll see you, then. Bye." She decided it was best to let him think whatever he wanted. For now, she just wanted to go to lunch, and forget about this whole wedding.

"Bye, Tea. We'll be dere in about a week. Kaiba won't know what hit him," Joey snickered as he hung up the phone. Tea shook her head.

'_What did I get myself into? This wedding might look good for my business, but is it really worth it? Oh well, I don't have to worry too much until Joey arrives. Hopefully Serenity is ready to see her big brother again because I don't think he'll be too happy when he gets here. I'm not sure Kaiba will be thrilled to see him either. This will definitely be interesting. Now all we need is Yugi to come down, and the gang will all be together. Maybe he'll call back. I could really use his help.' _

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Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I know there wasn't too much action, but Joey hasn't arrived yet either. Also Mokuba will be appearing soon. And the next chapter might take awhile to put up because I have to go on vacation soon. 


	3. Fighting For Those You Love

A/N: I know, I know. It's been a really, really long time since I have updated. My only excuse, which is kind of clichéd but true none the less, is I had writer's block. But after one reviewer pointed out how long it had been and said not to give up on it, I set to work and quickly produced this chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you like this chapter.

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The airport terminal was filled with hundreds of people who were getting ready to board their planes. The sound of dragging suitcases echoed against the walls, but no one seemed to take notice of it. They were too busy going through security and trying to make it to their flight on time. Joey and Tristan dodged them as they made their way to the other side of the terminal. A female with blonde hair followed them but held no suitcase in her hand like the other two did.

"Ya sure ya don't wanna come, Mai?" Joey asked directing his question to the female behind him. She turned to him and smiled.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I've got too many things to take care of. Tell Serenity I said hi, though." She turned to go but not before Joey stopped her.

"Thanks again for da tickets. Dere's no way me and Tristan could've afforded dem." Tristan nodded his head in agreement.

"I told you it's no big deal. Besides, by paying for your tickets I've made sure I don't have to see you two dorks for awhile." She smirked, leaving before they realized she had just insulted them.

When he finally figured it out, Joey's face turned beet red. "She didn't mean dat, right?" He had thought Mai liked him considering she was always coming over, but maybe she was getting bored of seeing him. Maybe she saw this as an opportunity to get rid of him for awhile, and instead of telling him, she just paid for their tickets. He scratched his head in confusion. Why were females so difficult to understand, especially for him.

Tristan shrugged, just as confused by women as Joey was. "I don't think she would have said it unless she meant it, but the good news is she never said we had to pay her back."

Joey nodded his head in approval. "Dat's true. Now let's go before we miss our flight."

He pulled out their tickets, and they ran across the terminal to board the plane. They went through security and were soon led to their plane.

"I call window seat!" Joey yelled like an overly excited child who was flying for the first time and ran towards their seats.

Tristan who also wanted the window seat threw his foot out in front of Joey. He tripped over it and fell flat on his face. A flustered Joey lunged for Tristan, who in turn ducked behind a seat. Joey smacked into it, and fell backwards, a dazed expression on his face. Tristan laughed and quickly jumped over the seat he had hid behind to land right into the window seat.

Finally when he stopped seeing stars, Joey stood up and mumbled a few curse words under his breath. He slumped in the seat next to Tristan and vowed that next time Tristan wouldn't be so lucky.

--

Tea stared out her open window lost in thought. Today, Joey would come, causing all hell to break loose. Even though she had missed her friends due to not seeing them in years, she wished it didn't have to be like this. Why did helping one friend mean having to hurt another one?

A soft breeze came in though the window causing a few strands of her chocolate-colored hair to blow in her face. She pulled them back and tied her brown hair into a ponytail. Her head turned away from the window, and her eyes absentmindedly looked at the contents on her desk. A few pictures of old colleagues and friends smiled happily back at her, and Tea couldn't help but to laugh when she saw one of them. She had taken it right before she left. It was a picture of Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Serenity. Yugi was standing next to Joey who had his arm around Serenity and was giving Duke and Tristan a death glare because they were both trying to be the one next to her in the picture. They were practically killing each other when Tea had accidentally taken the picture. The looks on all of their faces had been priceless.

The telephone rang, abruptly cutting off Tea's thoughts. She looked at her phone and realized that it was Serenity calling. She wasn't really in the mood to talk to her. After all, the girl had broken her word by not telling Joey about the wedding, and Tea was afraid if she talked to Serenity at this moment, she would tell her to find another wedding planner.

The phone beeped signaling there was a voicemail. She played back the message when curiosity got the best of her.

"Hey, Tea. It's Serenity. I just thought I called to say that I'm sorry that I never told Joey about the wedding. I mean, I was going to, but I just wasn't sure what to say. But anyways, he called yesterday and said that you told him. He said he was really happy for me and that he wanted to see me before the wedding," she said all in one breath. "I can't believe he wasn't mad about it, but I guess you must have convinced him that I was grown-up enough to make my own decisions. Anyways I just wanted to thank you and ask if you could meet Seto and I for lunch. If you can't that's fine, but I just figured it would give us a chance to talk about the wedding. Plus I told Joey to meet us there since he's flying in today. Talk to you later. Bye"

Tea stared at the phone in disbelief. Why had Joey told Serenity he was happy for her when he clearly made it know to Tea that he was not? Why would he lie to Serenity of all people?

She shook her head feeling a little disappointed in him. Why was it she had secretly hoped for Joey to hurt Serenity by telling her the truth? Maybe so Serenity would feel the way she felt when she learned of the engagement even if she still tried to pretend that it didn't affect her.

"_I just need to remember my one rule in life: Don't fall for the groom. Wait? Since when did I like Kaiba? I don't. I can't.' _All of these thoughts plagued her mind as she left the building. By the time she reached her car, she had convinced herself that she had made that rule for a reason and would not be breaking it. And certainly not for someone like Kaiba.

This would definitely be an interesting day.

--

Light chatter filled the atmosphere as Tea opened the door to the restaurant. She was slightly taken aback. She had been expecting to hear shouting and screaming, but that just meant Joey wasn't here yet.

Tea took in her surroundings and tried not to appear to dumbfounded, but the restaurant was truly beautiful. Chandeliers on the ceilings and candles around the room were the only light source, providing a pleasant amount of light that made the room appear mysterious instead of dark and gloomy. Dark red curtains were drawn to keep outside light from reaching inside. Decorative portraits adorned the walls to give off a classical impression. There were also flowers in every vase on all of the tables, which not only added vibrant colors to the room, but also gave off a sweet fragrance. To top it off, every person in the restaurant looked important and elegant, and all wore either suits or fancy dresses.

Tea began to walk into the room, felling underdressed and out of place. She knew the restaurant was fancy but she had never actually been in it to know how elaborate it was and had decided to just wear a simple black dress.

'_I'm really glad I decided to at least wear this dress instead my skirt, but if I had known how ornate it was, I would have worn my red dress. Oh well, it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone, certainly not Kaiba,' _she thought, trying desperately to forget the thoughts she had had earlier. But she couldn't help wondering how Kaiba would comment on her choice of attire or if he would notice how it showed off her toned legs, muscled from years of dancing. Even though she hadn't become a professional dancer liked she had originally hoped, she still danced in her spare time to keep herself in shape.

"Tea, over here," Serenity called out, motioning her over to the table. Tea couldn't help noticing the peach-colored dress that Serenity wore, which looked like it cost a fortune. It was also low-cut, and Tea was a little surprised that Serenity was wearing it. Then again, she hadn't seen the girl in six years and she had grown up in those years.

She glanced over at Kaiba and saw he had replaced the usual trench coat with a black suit. She was a little disappointed because the suit didn't really show off his body as nicely as the trench coats did. Tea pushed the thought aside and proceeded forward.

She reached their table, passing by the kitchen, which was fashioned so that the customers could watch their food as it was being prepared. She inhaled a delicious aroma of seasoned chicken and steak and she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She sat down and noted that their was only four chairs seated around the table. _'Joey must not have told Serenity that he planned to bring Tristan with him. I guess he didn't want Serenity to feel awkward since Tristan has had a crush on her for years.' _

"Hi, Serenity," Tea said. Serenity smiled in acknowledgement. Seto, of course, was on his cell phone and didn't even look her way. She tried not to be too disappointed.

"I'm really happy you decided to come. I know how busy you are, and it was kind of short notice," Serenity said sweetly.

"Oh, it's no problem. Besides I haven't had chance to eat anything today, and this will be a nice break from work," Tea answered. It even sounded like a lie to her, but Serenity didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, well I was still hoping we could discuss some of the wedding details here, like the location and the style, but if this is your break…"Serenity trailed off.

Tea inwardly groaned. She hated how Serenity was trying to guilt her into this by acting all innocent. Besides after breaking her promise, Serenity should just be happy that she was still going to be the wedding planner. _'I really don't want to,… but I guess I don't really have a choice. I can't just blow her off. I either plan the wedding and help out in any way I can, or I just drop the whole thing.'_

"Don't worry about it," Tea answered hoping that she was making the right choice. It would have been so much easier to have just told Serenity she didn't want to be apart of it, but of course, that would risk hurting their friendship. "Well, first thing's first. Have you set a date."

She pulled out her organizer so that she could take some notes.

"No." Tea looked up and realized the cold response had come from Seto who was no longer on the phone. She was a little surprised he had had actually decided to contribute to their conversation today.

"Well, that's kind of the first step. I mean how can I plan a wedding if you don't even know when it's going to happen?"

"Considering the amount of money I'm paying you, I'm sure even you can figure out a way to plan a wedding without something as trivial as the date. I'm a busy man, so I can't possibly always know my schedule; therefore, I can't know for sure what date the wedding should be. If you can't handle it, then I'll just find someone else," Seto answered icily.

Tea immediately forgot any feelings she had for him. She tried to refrain herself from smacking him, which wasn't very easy. '_That egotistical bastard! He doesn't realize what a sacrifice I'm making for them. I can't believe I actually had feelings for him. I should just-'_

"Hey guys." Tea turned around to see Joey and Tristan coming into the restaurant. She wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved by the interruption. For one, she was about to strangle the man sitting across from her, but on the other hand, things might get a lot worse with Joey and Tristan being here.

"Joey," Serenity ran over to them and embraced her brother. "I didn't know you were bringing Tristan with you," she whispered in his ear.

"I didn't tell you dat he was coming?" Joey feigned surprise as if it were an honest mistake.

"No, you failed to mention that." She answered when Tristan turned around to find a chair. Joey gave a sheepish smile, and she sighed in exasperation. Leave it to Joey to pull something like this.

When Tristan sat down, the waiter finally came over. Tea took the chance to look over at Kaiba to see how he was handling the situation. She hoped he was uncomfortable, and judging by the way he was gripping the menu as he looked at it, she had received her wish _'It serves him right. That bastard deserves to squirm.'_

At the moment, Seto looked up and saw Tea staring at him. He immediately relaxed so that he looked like his normal self, confident and self-assured. She quickly looked away, but couldn't help but wonder what had made him so apprehensive? Even though she was glad he was so nervous, she was a little curious as to why he was. Maybe he, unlike Serenity, figured out that Joey was not as supportive of the engagement as he had pretended. Perhaps he was expecting some sort of confrontation and was nervous that he was outnumbered two to one. Even so, she still found it hard to believe that he would actually be worried about that. Maybe it was something else then?

The waiter cleared his throat and Tea realized everyone else had already ordered and was waiting for her to do the same. She started to blush and quickly ordered the first item on the menu so they would stop staring at her.

The waiter wrote it down, collected their menus, and walked away. There was an awkward silence afterwards in which no one seemed to want to be the first one to talk. Tea looked down but could feel someone staring at her. She looked up and met Seto's gaze. She began to blush again, and immediately grew angry with herself. After what he had said to her, she wouldn't forgive him that easy.

"So you and Kaiba, huh?" Joey broke the silence. Everyone gave him a startled look.

"Yeah," Serenity answered. "I'm really glad you-"

"And when did you two start datin' ? Am I the only one who's finding' dis whole thing hard to believe? I never even knew you liked him," Joey interrupted. Serenity looked surprised at his sudden change of opinion towards her engagement.

"But on the phone-"

"I said that I was happy for you, but I never said I supported it. I would never support you marrying a rich snob like Kaiba."

"Well, Wheeler, we never asked for your opinions, did we? So why don't you tell them to someone who actually cares," Kaiba sharply cut in. Joey glared at him.

"Was I talking to you?" Joey shouted. "See what kind of person he is, Serenity? He's rude and-"

"Do you talk just hear yourself talk because we really don't -"

"Stop it, both of you," Serenity cut in once she noticed the whole restaurant was staring at them. She looked at Tea and Tristan who were both staying quiet and silently begged them to help her, but they both looked away.

"Stay out of this, Serenity," Seto said harshly.

"Don't ever talk to my sister like dat or you'll regret it," Joey seethed.

"Regret it? Oh, I'm so scared."

Joey stood up and leaped at Kaiba, grabbing him by the collar. "You should be."

Seto yanked his arm off. "You would never scare me, Wheeler. There is nothing a dog like yourself could do to me. So why don't you shut your mouth and maybe as a reward I won't break every bone in your body."

Joey pulled his fist back and hit Seto in the jaw sending him back a few feet. Once he regained himself, Seto kicked Joey hard enough in the stomach to send in crashing into another table, completely breaking it and all of the dishes on it. Luckily, nobody was sitting at that table.

Tristan ran over to his side. "Okay, Joey. Let's just go," Tristan finally stepped in as he helped his best friend up.

"I don't think so." Joey ran forward and was about to throw another punch when the manger of the restaurant stepped in.

"If you two insist on fighting and breaking everything in your path then I'm going to have to ask you to leave, and I expect you to pay for all of the damage you have already caused."

Seto glowered at Joey. "Don't worry, it'll be taken care of."

"Yeah, moneybags can easily afford to pay for it," Joey said. He stared back at Seto and continued to hold his gaze when a voice cut him off.

"Jeez, Seto. You two haven't seen each other in years, and yet neither one of you have changed a bit. I can't believe that you are only gone from Japan for a few weeks and already manage to destroy a restaurant."

"What are you doing here, Mokuba? I thought I told you to stay in Japan." Seto replied angrily.

"And miss all of the action?" Mokuba said with a smirk."I don't think so."


	4. Is it Really Over?

Everyone turned to look at the now grown-up Mokuba. His hair was jet black but shorter now and had dark blue streaks in them. Even with his crazy hair, he still was very attractive and a few girls in the restaurant had trouble looking away from him. He was also taller now, almost as tall as his brother.

"So who exactly is taking care of KaibaCorp right now?" Seto asked. "It's not like there aren't a million people trying to take it over or anything."

Mokuba gave his brother a innocent smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Tea could have sworn she saw a girl pass out when she saw Mokuba. "Oh, Seto. You worry too much. It's all taken care of. Roland is watching over it right now. And besides, it's been a few years since someone tried to take over the company. Maybe they finally realized you were going to kick their butt every time and get it back."

Tea found herself smiling at his remark. It was just like Mokuba to say that. He practically worshipped his brother when he was younger and it looked like that hadn't changed.

"Or maybe they decided to stop when you finally had a growth spurt and could actually take them on," Seto replied.

Mokuba glowered but Tea inwardly laughed. Kaiba was always so different around his brother. Almost human. Now why couldn't he be like that towards everyone? Why did he find so much pleasure in humiliating everyone he could?

"So about the damage..." The manger started in.

"I said it would be taken care of," Seto snapped. He pulled out a check and quickly filled it out. "That should be more than enough to cover everything."

From the look on the guy's face, it was obviously a lot of money. He nodded his head and walked away.

"I thought so," Seto said. He turned to look at his brother and Serenity. "Let's go. I have a meeting in half an hour and those idiots can't get anything done if I'm not there."

"Not so fast, moneybags," Joey grabbed Seto's arm.

"Get your hand off of me Wheeler," Seto yanked himself away and turned to look at Joey. "This isn't over, Wheeler. I just have more important things to do than to worry about taking care of the dog right now. So why don't you be a good boy and run along now?"

"I oughta-" Tristan grabbed Joey back as he lunged for Kaiba.

"I think that's enough for one day, man," Tristan said as he tried to hold back a struggling Joey.

"Wow, and I always thought you were a moron," Seto said to Tristan before turning and walking away. Mokuba followed and started happily talking to his brother about how things were back in Japan. Serenity stayed rooted in her spot and looked like she was about to cry.

"I really wish you two would just get along. Or at least pretend to. At least for me. But I understand if that's asking too much," she said to Joey before running out of the restaurant. She ran past her fiancé who didn't even look at her. _'What an asshole, '_ Tea thought to herself.

Joey angrily pulled himself away from Tristan. "How can she even say dat? She acts like I don't even care about her. Obviously, I care about her. Dat's why I can't let her marry Kaiba.

"Women," Tristan muttered to himself.

Tea just shook her head. "I really wish I could just go back to the day when she asked me to help her and just tell her no. This is not even worth it."

"Then just tell her no now," Tristan said. "You'll be doing everyone a favor."

"Maybe I will," Tea murmured. "I don't think I can take anymore of this."

-----

Tea was sitting at her desk when the phone rang. She looked up surprised. Who would be calling this late? She had two weddings tomorrow and it was now three in the morning. Obviously, it was important if someone was calling now. She wished, however, they had waited until tomorrow night to call. At the rate things were going, she wasn't sure if the weddings would even be able to take place tomorrow. _'This had better be fast.'_

"Hello. This is Tea," she answered curtly.

"Tea, it's Serenity. The wedding is off. After what happened today, I think it would be better if we just didn't get married. Plus Seto and I had a huge fight afterwards and now I don't even know where he is," Serenity told her. It was obvious the girl was crying. Against her better judgment, Tea's heart went out to her and she knew she had to help her or at least console her.

"Serenity, I know you had hoped that everything was just going to fall into place, but you can't expect those two to get along after they've hated each other for so long. I mean, I know you wanted to believe Joey was okay with this, but honestly, you had to know he was lying. He would never want you to marry Kaiba. On the other hand, if you really do love him, then Joey will realize it eventually. And he loves you too much to not want you to be happy. It's just is going to take some time. The wedding doesn't have to be called off. It just might not happen as soon as you want it to," Tea replied comfortingly. She may not have ever wanted the two to get married either, but she did want Serenity to be happy. The girl was like a little sister to her.

"Even if you're right about all of that, it doesn't matter. Seto left, and I don't know where he went. Mokuba and I have looked everywhere, but we can't find him. I don't know what to do," Serenity broke down again and cried into the phone.

Tea inwardly sighed. She was going to regret this. "I'll leave in a few minutes and help you look. I know this city better than you two so I can probably find him faster. If I do, I call you and let you know."

"Really, Tea? You would do that? After all I have put you through.."Serenity broke off and started crying again. Tea looked at the clock. She could spare one hour and that was all. Even then, she wasn't sure if she would have enough time to pull the two weddings together. _'Oh well, I guess it's time to call in those favors.' _Luckily, over the past few years, she had done a lot for some important people and now hopefully, they would be willing to help her.

"Yeah, Serenity. I would love to help you. You're still my friend, and I'll always be there for you.," Tea responded. She tried to sound happy, but she knew she failed miserably. Why couldn't she ever just say no? That would make things so much simpler.

"Tea, I don't even know what to say. Thank you just doesn't sound like enough. I guess I'm really lucky to have a friend like you."

"Don't thank me yet. I still have to find him. And I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see me. I can't promise I won't hurt him, though," Tea recalled all of the insults he had directed towards her over the past few days. She would love to smack that perfect head of his.

Serenity giggled, "Just don't kill him. I still love him."

"Like I said, no promises," Tea answered as she hung up the phone. _'This is going to be a long night.'_

-----

Tea walked quickly towards her car. She had been out looking for Kaiba for the past thirty minutes and so far there was no sign of him. _'I didn't know it would be this hard to find that over inflated head of his.'_

She reached her car and was about to get in when she noticed a bar across the street. It looked pretty deserted except for the one car parked out front. A Lamborghini. _'Looks like something Kaiba would drive. I just have a hard time picturing him in a bar. I would think cheap alcohol wouldn't suit him.'_

Even though she had never stepped into a bar in her life, she made her way over towards the building. _'He better be in here. I don't want a drunk creep hitting on me. Kaiba might be a jerk, but I doubt he would let anything happen to me.'_

She buttoned her black jacket before she walked in. _'Just in case.'_

When she stepped into the bar, the first thing she smelled was cigarette smoke. She started coughing. Her eyes tried to focus in the poorly lit building, but they were having a hard time. _'I knew this would be a mistake.'_

"Gardner? I guess you're not the goody-goody you pretend to be," a voice said from behind her. She turned around and as her eyes finally focused, the first person she saw was Seto Kaiba. Her eyes took in his appearance. He looked oddly out of place. His hair was perfectly in place as always. His white long sleeved shirt fit tightly around his body. His pants looked like they cost a fortune, probably worth more than the building they were standing in. He didn't even look drunk. Everything else around him looked worse in comparison. _'Why is he here?'_

"Don't think I come in here often. I was actually looking for you. Your fiancé called me. She's really upset. Does that mean something to you? Do you even care that she kept crying when she called me because she was so worried about you? Do you even care about anyone but yourself?" She asked angrily. She hadn't realized how angry she was at him for the pain he was causing Serenity. She hoped he would at least show some remorse.

But of course, it was Kaiba, and he wasn't big into feeling sorry for people. So instead of answering her, he changed the subject. "I always promised myself I would never come into one of these places. Besides the fact that the drinks are cheaply made and one of these buildings couldn't be clean if Oprah(1) hired the best cleaning team money could afford, my stepfather loved to come to these things. Sure he would complain that they didn't have his type of wine or the people were of so much lesser importance than he was, he still loved to come to bars. And he loved to get drunk. He always did it when he was about to make another machine that would kill thousands of people. I promised myself I would never be like him. I said that alcohol would lead to my destruction like it led to his. I'm sure if he hadn't been so drunk all of the time, he would have realized my plan to take over his company. I also always knew that if I started drinking I would become the abusive person he was, and I had Mokuba to take care of. I wasn't about to let anything happen to him, and I would never hurt him."

Tea let all of this sink in. How had she not known all of this? No wonder Kaiba was so messed up. If his step-father had really been like this, then of course any normal person would have problems after living with him. She had never wanted to feel sorry for Kaiba, but now she couldn't help herself.

"Kaiba, I didn't know. I mean, I knew he was a horrible person, but..." She trailed off. What else was there to say?

"Don't start in. I'm not telling you this so you can pity me," Kaiba cut in angrily.

"Then why are you telling me this? And why are you here?" she asked.

He ignored the first question but answered the second one. "I'm here because Mokuba doesn't need me anymore. I'm here because for once I don't know what to do."

Tea stared at him. Was this really the same Kaiba who had always insulted her and her friends? He was actually showing some emotion. And it hit her. Maybe he hadn't had a complete transformation and become Mr. Nice Guy but he had changed. Just like Serenity had said. She found herself looking at him in a whole new way. No wonder Serenity had fallen in love with him. When he wasn't a complete asshole, he was actually almost sweet.

"I think I must be drunk," He suddenly said. _'Well, there's goes my theory that he's changed. I guess Seto Kaiba would never really talk like this.'_

"Well, that would make sense. You don't normally say things like this," Tea found herself laughing. This was just so bizarre. Never in a million years would she imagine herself in a bar with a drunk Seto Kaiba.

"We should probably go," She found herself saying even though she would much rather stay. Not like she would ever get a chance to see him like this again.

"Gardner, stop being Miss Perfect. I know these drinks suck but it won't kill you to have one." He waved the bartender over and ordered two shots of vodka.

"Vodka, I don't think so. If I ever drank anything, it would be a margarita or something," She said as she pushed the glass away from her.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it." He grabbed his glass and drank it all.

"What? I can handle it. I just don't think I would like it, that's all. I'm not paying for something that will probably taste like nail polish remover."

"If that's your excuse, well don't worry," he answered rolling his eyes. "Drinks are on me."

She stared at him and then looked at the glass. She really didn't want to do this, but she didn't want him to think she couldn't handle it. Well, one drink couldn't possibly kill her. "Fine, I'll prove to you that I am more than capable of handling a little vodka."

He raised his eyebrow and smirked at her. "Well, then what are you waiting for?"

Tea took a deep breath. _'Why do I care what he thinks of me?' _But she knew there's was only one reason. The reason she had been hiding for awhile now. She liked him and she wanted to impress him.

"I'm waiting."

She glared at him and grabbed the glass. She took a deep breath before drinking it. As soon as it hit her mouth, she thought about throwing it up. Instead, somehow she forced herself to swallow it. "See, easy."

"You look like you're about to puke," he answered simply.

"Well, I'm not. I could easily drink another one," She responded. _'Crap, why did I just say that? It must be the alcohol talking.'_

"Well, in that case...Bartender, we need two more shots," he said.

The bartender came over with two more glasses of vodka. "I told you my name is Joe"

"Yeah, whatever," Seto said turning away from him. He handed one of the glasses to Tea.

"I really think we should go," She told him. Her head felt dizzy and she really wanted to leave.

"I thought you could handle it," he said as he drank his shot.

" I can. I just think we should go since Serenity and your brother are still looking for you."

"They'll be fine," He said shrugging his shoulders. "I just think you don't want to drink this and are looking for any excuse to get out of doing it."

"I'll have you know..." she started before she realized he was right. To hide the red that was forming on her cheeks, she grabbed the glass and drank it.

Now she felt really dizzy. '_We really need to go.'_

"Wow, I can't believe you can actually handle two shots of vodka. So what about three?"

"No, we really need to-" She started but he had already asked Joe for the whole bottle of vodka. '_How did I get myself into this?'_

"Here, ladies first," he said giving her the bottle. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She definitely wasn't going to be ready for those weddings tomorrow.

-----

Sunlight streamed into the room. Tea tried to open her eyes, but found they felt like a thousand pounds. Why did her head hurt so much? And what time was it? _'Oh crap, the weddings are today!'_

She forced her eyes open and was surprised to find herself in a room that was not hers. She put her hand to her head as the room began to spin around her. "Where am I?'

Finally, her head stopped spinning and she was able to completely take in the room. The first thing she noticed, of course, was the naked man lying beside her.

-----

(1)- I doubt I should even be using her name, but obviously, I have no connection to Oprah or anything affiliated with her.

I really don't know that Gozaburo Kaiba was an alcoholic, but in this story he is. So if you don't like it, well I'm sorry. I needed it for my story.

So now I guess it's time for me to say all of the things that one expects to hear an author say after she's taken so long to update her story. When I first started writing this story and my other story, I had every intention of finishing them. But then school got in the way and I got older and less interested in Yugioh. I'm not saying I'm too old for it because I don't know that a person ever gets too old for something, but honestly, Yugioh became something of my past. But then I was on fanfiction the other day and saw some of my reviews. I remembered how frustrated I would be when an author would just top writing one of their stories so I knew I had to finish this. Even though, I don't watch the show anymore, I still love writing and this story has always entertained me. So know I will finish this story eventually because it's the least I can do for all of my faithful readers out there, if they are still out there. As for my other story, I doubt I will finish it. I'm truly sorry I started it. If someone else would like to finish it, let me know and you can take over.


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